New village pre-school 'ready by next spring'

School authorities acknowledge that the build “may cause some disruption”

Sun, 06 Aug 2017

Reporter:

John Garvey

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RAMSBURY Pre-School’s new building should be completed by next spring.

In a letter sent to residents, school authorities acknowledge that the build “may cause some disruption” and they state that part of the current school car park in Oxford Street will be used to store construction materials while staff will use Isles Road to park their cars, leaving access for emergency vehicles outside Isles Court.

The current premises at the Methodist Church Hall have been outgrown and are no longer compliant with increasing Government regulation.

The pre-school committee determined that the only option was to construct new, purpose-built premises and planning application was granted by Wiltshire Council.

But the project, which will also boost the pupils’ capacity numbers, proved controversial, with some villagers fearing it will worsen traffic and parking chaos.

Critics claimed the roads there are dangerous enough already and that building on the Back Lane plot, originally earmarked for a pre-school in the 1980s, will escalate the dangers to an unacceptable level.

However, nearly 30 letters supporting the project were sent to planners, compared with six letters of objection.

Ramsbury Pre-School began 40 years ago at the Methodist Church Hall as a toddlers group.

Over the decades it has become a registered charity rated as ‘good’ by Ofsted.

The charity committee wants to establish a permanent home and pre-school manager Emma Gagen said previously: “It’s important for our community to keep the pre-school in the village.

“This site benefits from being in the heart of village and close to all the amenities.

“It offers convenience for parents, for drop off and collection, as the majority of parents have children that attend Ramsbury Primary School.

“The new site will enable us to have a bigger and better designed interior and exterior space, appropriate for an increased capacity of 30 children in a session, matching school class sizes.”